“Jessica Mokdad” Conference: At War with Islam by Any Crooked Means

When Malcolm X uttered the famous words, “by any means necessary,”it was in the midst of the Jim Crow era. He was making it known that Blacks were not going to take the systematic violence and oppression directed against them in a subservient manner. On the other side was Bull Connor, George Wallace, the Ku Klux Klan and organized racism which sought to uphold Jim Crow “by any crooked means.”

In the “fine” tradition of the Jim Crow-era racists, Pamela Geller, Robert Spencer and other leading anti-Muslim activists have declared war on Muslims by any and all crooked means. In doing so they project their own inadequacies and stealth motives onto Muslims and Islam. They create new definitions of theological concepts such as taqiya (dissimulation to protect oneself from violence and coercion), defining it as lying for the advancement of Islam. In fact, it is Spencer and Geller who are lying to aide their own cause and to line their own pocket books. They put on the mask of defenders of freedom, democracy and the rule of law, when it is they who are a part of the leading regressive force in the US undermining and challenging our liberties and freedoms.

This was on full display yesterday, April, 29 in Dearborn when they went ahead with an anti-Islam conference titled the “Jessica Mokdad Conference.” Jessica Mokdad was a young woman who was murdered by her step-father, a sick man who had been sexually abusing her.

Mokdad’s murder had nothing to do with Islam, but Geller spinned it into an honor killing.

Despite it not being an honor killing, despite the fact that Mokdad’s family requested her name be taken off the conference, (expressing how it pained them that Geller and co. could so thoughtlessly use Jessica’s memory to further hate of the religion she “loved”) the title was kept: “Jessica Mokdad Human Rights Conference.”

Geographic Racism

Dearborn, Michigan is home to one of the largest concentrations of Arabs and Muslims in the United States. For this reason it has earned the scorn and undying resentment of the fanatical anti-Muslim movement.

According to these racists Dearborn has ceased to be a part of America because of the “camel jockeys” and “towel heads” who have invaded. In their mind the city has become “Dearbornistan,” and Michigan an “Islamic Republic.”

Such racist notions zeroing in on certain geographic locations isn’t new, it is a similar kind of racism that paints the US’s Southern border as “Third World” and “backward” because of the large percentage of Latinos.

In their nostalgic-looking-back-at-the-50’s-White-bred world when so-called true Americana existed, when America was a Christian (or Judeo-Christian) nation lies the heart of the anti-Muslim movement’s present malaise.

Like most fundamentalists, they hearken to a mythic, purer past, while selling the fear of an impending Armageddon, after which America will no longer be America.

To fight to keep America “pure,” to recreate its glory, the crowd is given the message: “you are the soldiers,” “this is a war,” “we are the soldiers. It’s up to us.” (via. USA Today reporter Niraj Warikoo):

“We stand for America,” said Osama Siblani, publisher of the Dearborn-based Arab-American News, at a panel discussion held at a Detroit hotel. “And they (anti-Muslim activists) stand against America and against the American way of life.”

Siblani’s views were echoed by others who gathered for a conference organized by the Arab American Institute and supported by several other Arab-American groups to counter a conference held in Dearborn on Sunday by anti-Muslim activists called the “Jessica Mokdad Human Rights Conference on Honor Killings.”

Last year, Mokdad, 20, a Muslim was shot dead by her stepfather in Warren, Mich. Some anti-Islam activists said it was a honor killing because initial reports were that she was perceived as too independent, but Macomb County Assistant Prosecutor Bill Cataldo said Friday it was not an honor killing. The family of Mokdad opposed the anti-Islam conference and didn’t want Mokdad’s name on it, Cataldo said.

On Sunday, Imam Hassan Qazwini of the Islamic Center of America in Dearborn — the biggest mosque in Michigan — said : “Honor killing has no religious roots in Islam.”

Geller, who blogs against Islam, said: “Our goal is to raise awareness about the phenomenon of Islamic honor killing in order to help bring a stop to it. These girls have rights, too, they’re human beings, and yet they’re completely forgotten in our politically correct culture.”

Qazwini said he believes Geller is motivated by money. He said she wants to make “Islam look like a monster to raise funds.”

Sunday’s anti-Muslim conference in Dearborn is the latest effort by anti-Islam activists to target Dearborn, which has the highest percentage of Arab-Americans in the U.S., according to Census figures. Earlier this month, Quran-burning pastor Terry Jones held a demonstration outside Qazwini’s mosque.

In addition, some Christian missionaries have increasingly targeted Muslims at the annual Arab festival in Dearborn; last year, some yelled at festival goers as they walked by.

James Zogby, who heads the Arab American Institute, said of Sunday’s anti-Muslim conference: “These people are bigots … they are sick.”

The Arab-American conference featured talks by U.S. House Reps. John Conyers and Hansen Clarke, both Democrats from Detroit. Daniel Kirchbaum, executive director of Michigan’s Department of Civil Rights, also spoke at the event, saying that many in Michigan want to make sure “Muslims are treated fairly and equally.”

Try as they may, to spit on the memory of Jessica Mokdad in the name of human rights, the anti-Muslim bigots will not be successful–as long as those who are vigilant speak out against their hatred, fear-mongering, false dichotomies, generalizations, misattributions and lies.

Well loonwatchers, you’re proving your adversaries point by offering nothing but insults and typical forum tactics. Friends of Jessica testified about her attitude toward islam, and the prosecuters original report is a matter of record as is the report on the Said sisters honor killing which was later changed to a “double murder”. It is happening and all Spencer and Geller want is for it to be recognized so that when a teenager tells the police that they are in danger because they are not complying with their families religious beliefs (like the Said sisters did) they will be protected. Tell me how hateful is that?

Pamela Geller is a hero! Thanks Pamela for doing the work that needs to be done. Jessica Mokdad did not want to wear her hijab. Jessica Mokdad did not want to follow Islam and she shouldn’t have to, this is America. Jessica’s friend said he was afraid for himself and Jessica because of her family. We need to find ways to help women like Jessica so they can leave abusive family situations. No one should have to follow any religion in America if they do not want to. No one should be killed or abused by aggressive abusive bullies like Jessica’s family.

Peter, not sure what a ‘Moslem’ country is… can you explain? And yeah, lots of us are either a) Muslims or b) have lived in Muslim countries or c) both.

Anyway, in the ‘Moslem’ country I live in, ‘honor’ killing is non existent. Why? Because ‘honor’ killing is a cultural issue, not a religious one. Before you debate on this point please look at the areas where such killings happen and note that firstly they happen in specific clusters and where they do happen they happen withing all religious groups. I’d also like to see your evidence for the shite about religious establishments blocking ‘honor’ killing legislation or point out a country that specifically allows ‘honor’ killing. I know two that used to, Brazil and Italy which last time I checked were proudly ‘Christian nations’.

FYI I write this in a cafe and there are a lot of hijab wearing Muslim women here. If you want I can ask one of them on your ‘points’. They’ll probably laugh at you.

Truth Seeker says:
“Recently ,the cousin of foreign minister of Pakistan got away with disfiguring horribly his beautiful wife with ACID ATTACK and no action was taken against the culprit because he came from the landed family.”

Listen you moron,

you already answered your question by saying “no action was taken against the culprit because he came from the landed family”.

“Rather than posting angry comments, why not come out with a detailed rebuttal to spencer and gellers claims and prove them wrong?”

I don’t know how it is possible for someone to say such a thing. For anyone with eyes to see, there’s a myriad of articles on loonwatch that counter several topics that Robert spencer has failed to rebuttal. So you should ask him, not Danios, “why he posts angry comments”.

http://gmail Truth Seeker

Rape and Murder are a way of life in Islam.Even from the beginning Muslims have been involved with rapes of women authorised by its innovator and murders ignored because the women are a Possession in the hand of male members of family.Go and see what happens to the Muslim women in Muslim countries.Recently ,the cousin of foreign minister of Pakistan got away with disfiguring horribly his beautiful wife with ACID ATTACK and no action was taken against the culprit because he came from the landed family.The victim got free treatment in Italy because of their Christian compassion.Saudi Arabia or any rich Muslim contributed nothing till she committed suicide after thirteen years because she could not dare to see her face in the mirror.Like wise,Islam has disfigured the face of Muslims so badly that they dare not look at it in the MIRROR OF TRUTH.

Danios

LOL @ VRM.

Peter

Have any of you lived in Moslem countries ? Why is it any time the issue of increasing the ridiculously lenient punishment for “honor killing” is raised, the RELIGIOUS establish strenuously opposes it on the basis that any changes in the law would destroy the Family life because as we all know, women do bad things and without the treat of severe punishment they would do things, such as talk to men, go out of the house alone and bring dishonor on the family (or at least the men of the family). Just ask the Moslem women what they think – oh sorry I forgot, Moslem women are not allowed a voice.

VRM

So, you like only buttering kind of remarks, which support your point?
None of my several posts are accepted. Why?
JW AND FFI ARE FAR MORE DEMOCRATIC THAN YOU DANIOS.

VRM

Rather than posting angry comments, why not come out with a detailed rebuttal to spencer and gellers claims and prove them wrong?

Abdul-Rahman

These Islamophobic morons are such hatemongering liars, taking a murder that law enforcement confirms was done by a deranged man who had his advances rebuffed and trying to absurdly bash a whole community with this one deranged man’s crime. Murders happen everyday among all kinds of people throughout America, these idiots are just showing what xenophobic hatemongers they are with their little “conferences” of lies and hate.

ShadeedXMoro

What would Malcolm say about these morons? Ignore them? Same hate that he saw in his lifetime? Focus on the bigger picture, since Islamophobia is a symptom of a bigger problem?

Part of the reason those who hate Islam, who fear it do so is because they know the power and force of Islam. I believe a lot of it has to do with envy.

Lets hope that as time goes on, fewer and fewer people take Geller seriously.

mindy1

I am glad they are not taking this laying down-FIGHT THE LOONS!!!!

http://aayjay.wordpress.com AJ

For a honor killing in its true context of the word, someone’s honor is defied and so they kill a person. I am curious to know how was the step father’s honor defied if he was the person who had sexually assaulted her? I mean if someone else had sexually assaulted her followed by the stepfather murdering her – calling this an honor killing would have made sense. I guess the loons are turning loonier – they can’t even use the standard evil codes for Islam correctly.

Crow

These Islamaphobes consider people like anders breivik a hero to their cause, how could they feel any kind of sympathy for a young girl who loved Islam. These racist will go on the trash heap of history.